FMCSA

The Department of Defense needs to do a better job handling hazardous materials, says the Government Accountability Office. Hazmat shipments have been improperly documented and packaged, leading to delays and risks to safety and national security, the watchdog agency found.

Work on the highway bill continues next week with a Senate Commerce Committee hearing on safety policy. The Subcommittee on Surface Transportation will convene Tuesday, June 3 to take testimony on “The Safety and Effectiveness of our Transportation Systems.” Witnesses have not yet been named.

The American Trucking Associations is trying to get Congress to cut off funding for the restart provision of the hours of service rule -- a maneuver that has provoked a sharp response from Anne Ferro, chief of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and concern among some carriers and the enforcement community.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is reminding the trucking industry Wednesday marks the start of new regulations requiring that all U.S. DOT physicals must be performed by a qualified health professional listed on the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is allowing an extra month for comments on its proposed electronic logging rule. The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, representing state police and other enforcement interests, had asked the agency for the one-month extension.

The to-and-fro over highway funding continued in the Senate Wednesday with Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx politely deflecting Sen. John Thune’s attempt to get the Obama administration to say it would accept a fuel tax increase.

The Seat Belt Usage by Commercial Motor Vehicle Drivers Survey shows that the overall safety belt usage rate for drivers of all medium and heavy-duty trucks and buses rose from 78% in 2010 to new high of 84% in 2013

It is one of a series of activities that occur year round whereby CVSA-certified inspectors conduct compliance, enforcement and educational initiatives targeted at various elements of motor carrier, vehicle, driver and cargo safety and security.

The White House Office of Management and Budget has cleared a proposal to prohibit coercion of drivers by carriers, shippers or receivers. OMB sent the proposal back to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, typically a signal that a Federal Register notice is pending.

Some time soon the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will go public with its analysis of how to account for fault in the crash data it uses to assess carrier safety performance. Joe DeLorenzo, director of the agency’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance, said the agency is preparing a report to Congress and a Federal Register notice.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is proposing a rule change so carriers can sign and maintain important documents electronically. The proposal, part of an effort to cut paperwork, would codify a 2011 guidance in which the agency gave carriers the option of using electronic signatures and storing documents electronically.